Tread switch



Dec. 23, 1930.

G. THON TREAD SWITCH Filed May 2:5,` 192s ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 23, 1930 UNITED STATE-s GEORGE THON, or PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA' TREAD SWITCH Application filed May 23, 1928. 'Serial No. 279,950.

A great many persons upon leaving the cellar subsequent to ring up the furnace or performing other chores leave the light burning, and at the end of the month the electric light 5 bill is very exorbitant. However this does not occur so often with the person who usually attends to the furnace or performs other chores in the cellar but more or less with those who enter the cellar for some pretense or To other or when asked to fix the furnace in the absence of the usual attendant.

Therefore the present invention relates to an automatic cellar light', the purpose of which is to stop all extra costs brought about 1:5 in the above manner, and at the same time insure extinguishing the light automatically.

Still another purpose is to provide an apparatus of this kind, which as the person enters the cellar by descending the stairs the 20 electric light will automatically illuminate, by depressing one of the treadsv of the steps and upon egress from the cellar by ascending the steps, the light will automatically extinguish, the latter result being obtained by also :'25 depressing one of the treads of the steps.

A further purpose is to provide in an automatic cellar light, in order to obtain the above result, a switch similar to the pull chain type of bulb receiving socket, which when pulled 30 will light the bulb, and when pulled again will extinguish the bulb. In fact every time the pull chain isA actuated the switch operates to either-extinguish or light the bulb.

It is to be understood that the particulars .35 herein given are in no way limitive, and'that while still keeping within the scope of the invention, any desired modification of details and proportions may be made in the construction of the appliance according to cirxo cumstances.

l guishing the cellar bulb.

yll`igure`2`is a detailed perspective view of the spring tension hinge which operatively connects a tread andan :adjacent rise Vof the steps.

Figure 3* is a detailedfperspective view of one Vof the treads of the steps, illustrating its construction and design.

Figure 4L`is a detailed perspective view off-the actuator carried by the moving tread of the steps. Y

Referring to 'the drawings, 1 identifies a series'of'cella'r-s'teps and 2 is one of the treads and 3 fand 4 are the rise pieces of the steps. The :adjacent edge portions `of the rise piece 3 and-thetread 2 being beveled to limit thev tread in its upward movement.

The` tread 2 of the steps is "hingedly connected torthe rise 3 by means of the hinge 5, adetail of which `is shown .in'Figure 2.

This hinge comprises the two Ahinge plates 6 and 7, which are joined integrally by a spring'r'oll orcurved portion S. This -hinge has its plates and 7 fastened 'by screws 9 to the tread 2 and the rise 3. The hinge maybe `constructed of any suitable metal, preferably of a spring character, theroll` 8 being v-of such spring character as to hold the tread "2 partly raised, whichis sufhcient to permit an actuator 10 carried by the tread to operate a switch.

'The actuator 10 -is Leshaped and one'of its ari'ns is secured-by screws 11 to the under surface of the tread' 2, while lits other -arm 12 is positioned properly to actuate a switch device 13. This other arm 12'hasfan opening 14.

The Switch 13 may be Aany suitable construction, preferably of atype similar to the pull chain .bulb receiving socket now extensively known, wherein the chain can be pulled to jeither light a bulb or extinguish the same. However. in the present case instead of the pull chain the yswitch has a projecting rod 15 with a head 16. The rod 15 passes through the opening 14 of the arm 12 of the actuator 10, .so lthat when the tread member 2 of the steps is-depressed the arml 12 of the actuator will engage with the head 16 and pull the rod -15 downwardly, closing the switch, thereby l-ifgfhtingthecellar bulb or light -17 The switch 13 is bolted at 18 to the rise 4. and one of the binding posts 19 of the switch has a wire or lead 20 connected to it and in turn adapted to connect with any source of current supply, the current passing over the wire 20 being preferably 110 volt. Connected to the other binding post 21 of the switch is a wire or lead 22,which connects with a binding post 23 of the lamp socket 24,

- which carries the bulb 17. The lamp socket 24 has connected to its other binding post 25 a lead or conductor 26, which connects with the other side of the 110 volt, receiving current from any suitable source of supply.

Obviously when a person entersthe cellar the tread 2- (which is limited in its upward movement by the headed screws 27 engaged through the openings 28) is depressed causing the lower arm 12 of the actuator 10 to engage with the head 16 of the rod 15 of the switch, which rod in turn actuates the switch and closes the circuit lighting the lamp 17. The person upon leaving the cellar again depresses the tread 2 of the steps and causes the actuator 10 to again pull upon the rod 15 by the arm 12 lengaging with the head 16 and the rod, thereby opening the circuit and extinguishing the light. However upon leaving the cellar the person should step a triiie higher when reaching the tread 2, otherwise it is possible to trip on the tread causing the person to fall or possibly disarranging the construction of the device. The headed screws 27 are engaged into'the sides of the steps.

The switch proper not 'shown in `detail is contained in the switch casing 13, which is provided with binding screws onthe eX- terior. It will be noted that the actuator 10 moves slightly rearwardly as itvactuates the switch rod 15. Furthermore the heads of the screws 27 are countersunk inthe tread-so as not to project above the surface of the tread. In actual practice the tread has at the most a movement of approximately onequarter of an inch at the tree edge of the tread, possibly less, in fact only enough movement topermit the actuator 10 to pull down the rod 15.

The invention having been set forth, what is claimed is:

1. In an automatic cellar light, a set of steps having a movable tread, the rear portion of which and the lower edge of an adjacent rise having abutting bevels to limit the tread in its forward movement, a single piece spring hinge connecting said tread and said rise, thereby tensioning'the tread, a switch having a pull member, and an angular bracket depending from the tread and operatively connecting with the pull member to actuate the switch when the tread is depressed.

2. In an automatic cellar light the combination with a tread member of a set of Anature.

GEORGE THON.

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